When our first round of dim sum came, I had to do a double take. Most of the time, dim sum dishes come with three pieces per order. But Honolulu Seafood Restaurant took it to the next level with four pieces per order — and when there were three pieces, the portions were generous.
“Look at the size of the siu mai,” I told my husband. “Talk about dim sum for days.”
Dim sum is only served during lunch at Honolulu Seafood Restaurant, which was opened earlier this year by Terry Cheung and his business partner, James Cheng. If the menu looks familiar, that’s because Honolulu Seafood Restaurant is the sister eatery of Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant, which opened in the former MW Restaurant space in 2022. Soon, the biz will launch its third location, in Kaneohe, and a fourth eatery (location undisclosed) is already in the works.
The Honolulu space is larger than the Kapiolani one — it’s two stories, complete with four private dining rooms (must reserve in advance) that are especially popular for wedding, graduation and birthday parties (small rooms can fit 10 people with a $400 minimum; larger rooms can fit 15 to 18 with a $600 minimum). The restaurant is currently BYOB (no corkage fee).
Dim sum bestsellers include shrimp dumplings ($6.50), pork hash with seafood ($6.50), house dumplings ($6.50), and chicken feet with abalone sauce ($6.50). I was too chicken to eat the latter (pun intended), but everything else hit the spot. Shrimp dumplings have always been my dim sum fave, and these succulent, juicy bites were to die for.
We also ordered baked barbecue pork buns ($7) and steamed salted egg custard buns ($8.50), which were new to the menu. The baked barbecue pork buns were massive; they looked like mini manapua. There was more bread than pork filling — but then again, each piece was huge — so I got full quickly after eating one of these and one of the salted egg custard buns. The savory egg custard oozed out of the charcoal buns as soon as we opened them. Be careful: The custard is really hot, so if you eat these too quickly, you’ll burn your mouth.
No visit to a Chinese restaurant is complete without noodles. We tried both the beef and the shrimp look funn ($8.50 each), and preferred the beef because it was more flavorful.
“I should have warned you that the portions are bigger,” our server said, once our third round came out.
My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach, and we took at least half of our orders home.
If you aren’t in the mood for dim sum, you can order off the dinner menu during lunch. It has a variety of appetizers, soups, noodles, seafood, meats and veggies to choose from; all are served family style. We had to return to check out the dinner menu — this time, we came prepared with a group of friends.
The platter of honey walnut shrimp with milk cream ($39.50) is one of the most popular appetizers. The plump shrimp morsels weren’t overly battered and oily, but it was the deep-fried cream that had me intrigued and wanting more. I expected a liquidy, custard-like filling to ooze out, but the fried cream had a consistency similar to a thick haupia. It might sound odd, but trust me, it’s a winner.
Whole Dungeness crab (market price) and lobsters (market price) were a crowd favorite. Choose from seasonings like ginger and onion, salt and pepper, garlic and butter, and salt egg yolk (for the crab).
Insider tip: There are off-menu dishes available, but you have to preorder them 24 hours in advance. It’s a “if you know, you know” type of thing. One of those off-menu options was a seafood pumpkin soup ($17.50), which I loved. One order is enough for five or six people — made with fresh kabocha, shrimp and scallops. I’m not the hugest fan of pumpkin, but this soup’s flavor was mild and was more savory than sweet.
The stuffed crab claws ($12 per piece) are also a must (preorder required). The panko breading encases an indulgent Dungeness crab-and-shrimp filling, sure to satisfy any seafood lover.
There are preset menus ranging from $488 to $788 available for preorders if you’re planning on dining in a large group. Cheung notes these are popular because they feature the restaurant’s bestsellers.
Parking tip: I’ve parked at Alii Place out of convenience, but if you’re planning to dine later — especially on the weekends — go for the Bishop Square option. You’ll only have to pay $1.50 with restaurant validation, and the parking lot is open until 1 a.m.
Honolulu Seafood Restaurant
Address
1055 Alakea St., Honolulu
Phone
808-538-8788
Hours
Open daily,
9:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
(dim sum from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Instagram
@honoluluseafoodrestaurant
Price: $$
Parking: Partially validated Parking at Alii Place parking garage or at Bishop Square
